1. Field of the Present Disclosure
This disclosure relates generally to supports for engaging a part or portion of the human anatomy and more particularly to an arm sling capable of orienting a supported arm in a preferred attitude relative to the torso.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Slings for supporting injured arms or shoulders are well known in the prior art. For instance Roy U.S. Pat. No. 2,088,927 discloses an open sling with a cord extending through hems along both sides with loops at both ends which when placed around the neck are able to support an arm as shown in FIG. 1. Other open slings are disclosed in Diaz et al D504518, Cosentino U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,337, Hubbard et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,301, Melendez et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,353, Lay U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,617, and Jamerson et al 2009/0050159. The open sling appears to be the conventional approach primarily because it allows the injured arm to be easily placed into the sling with the least amount of handling. Kendall et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,433,221 discloses a partially closed (tubular) sling that is designed for enclosing a shoulder as well as its related arm. Williams U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,172 discloses an open sling that may be closed after placement of the arm. Several straps bring the two upper edges of the sling into close proximity to better fit the sling to the arm and to limit the arms motion.
The related art briefly described above discloses arm slings that provide the benefit of supporting an injured arm. In order to place the injured arm into these slings, they are formed as open topped V-shaped flexible or semi-flexible structures. These slings are generally held near the wrist end by a neck strap as shown in Williams, FIG. 1, or a modified neck and shoulder strap, as shown in Hubbard et al FIG. 3. The elbow end of the sling is frequently secured in various ways as also illustrated in Hubbard et al where a waist strap is used. Closure of the top or part of the top of the sling may be in accordance with Cosentino where the neck strap also is used to pull the wrist ends of the sling together, or by separate straps as in Williams. The prior art, as shown by Williams and Hubbard et al does teach the benefits of tightening the sling around the supported arm and more securely holding the sling close to the body. The prior art does not teach an arm sling and securing strap arrangement that has the ability to quickly change the angle that the sling makes with respect to the torso. Actually, it often is desirable to change the position of the supported arm from hour to hour or day to day if supporting the arm in one position for long periods results in detriment to the healing process or becomes uncomfortable to the patient. The present disclosure distinguishes over the prior art providing heretofore unknown advantages as described in the following summary.